


Shooting Star

by WritersKitten



Series: Drabbles and Prompts of the Year [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Crack, Family, Fluff, Gen, Orphanage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-06 17:20:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3142493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritersKitten/pseuds/WritersKitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Germany is out for his usual morning walk, when he hears laughter from the old mansion at the end of the road. He is tempted to continue his walk, but curiosity gets to him, and he takes a closer look. A story of how he, despite feeling down after the war, managed to brighten a little girl's future considerably.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hetalia (c) Himaruya Hidekaz  
> OC(s) (c) Katrine Laclyon

**A Shooting Star**

 

Germany watches the girl in silence. Her fingers are rough after having folded strips of paper into perfect pentagons, before turning them into perfect, golden small stars for years. Her skin is pale after spending too many days inside, and she is thin after having refused food more than once. His gaze goes to the wreath made of paper stars in gold and silver. The one she stayed up too long, only so she could place it at his head when he got home from work.

The girl shifts slightly in her sleep, the blanket falling off her, revealing one of Germany’s own white t-shirts which she of some reason likes sleeping in.

“I didn’t get your thoughts when you brought her here, Luddy”, Prussia says from the chair he is perched on, enjoying another piece of cake, as he watches the two of them. “And I certainly don’t get your thoughts now.”

 

_Nearly a year earlier…_

Germany was out for his usual morning walk. It was a very nice morning. Early spring with a clear, pale blue sky. The lawns were just starting to grow fresh green grass, some small, white flowers stood up, and in the ditches old snow lay. A gentle breeze danced down the road, making Germany’s cheeks, nose and ears a pink colour. In a brief moment, the regret of not putting on scarf, hat and gloves hit him, then it passed and he resumed enjoying the nature and the morning.

He was about to take the turn that led him off the road and along a path back home, when he noticed the mansion a little further in between the trees. He had seen it many times before, but never heeded it much mind. After the war, there were places that had been left unattended, and the undergrowth had quickly taken over. The government had at a certain point begun cleaning up in these old mansions, and by now this should as well have been either sold, handed back to the original owner, or taken down. Germany had, however, never seen a car there, nor heard anything from there. And the fact that he now heard children laughing, followed by an elderly woman calling something, made him curious.

He sighed and was about to return to minding his own business, when he thought of what Japan and Italy would have done in his case. Both were curious of nature. While Japan’s curiosity was subtle, Italy’s curiosity was rather overwhelming. Had they been with him, both would have been tugging at his sleeves, begging to go have a look.

His gaze wandered to the path he was supposed to follow back home. Then he turned and continued further down the road, towards the mansion.

Upon arriving by the gate, he was surprised as to how huge this place actually was. The gates were of wrought iron, while the walls were of red bricks with pale yellow paint flaking off. He gave one half of the gate a light push. It opened, creaking loudly. Glancing about to see if anyone were about to jump him, he entered the front garden, feeling like he was very out of place.

The garden looked like it had been left to its own for way too long, then very recently someone had been trying to tidy it up a little. Halfway between the gate and the entrance of the mansion, there was a fountain. A statue of a young woman sprayed water high up in the air from a deep jar, before falling in the pool below. A story, it seemed, was carved into the pedestal on which the fountain stood, accompanied with small, detailed pictures. Past the fountain, everything suddenly became much cleaner and neater, if not entirely perfect. The patches of flowers had been cleared and the soil bore marks of having been turned upside down, probably just waiting for the heat of the sun to let new flowers blossom. The grass was cut evenly, and there were circular slabs forming a path through the garden, around the corner. Maybe to a terrace of some sort.

The building, however, was the most astonishing of it all. It was made of bricks, looking nearly like an old English mansion, with painted white walls, except the two upper floors where the wood of the framework showed. There were plenty of windows, but none appeared clean enough to actually be see-through.

When Germany made it as far as the door, he looked for a doorbell. He did not find the doorbell he was looking for. However, he did find an old knocker formed like a crescent with stars on either side. He lifted it, letting it fall against the door once. Even from the outside, the sound of it made him pull back from the door. A deep, hollow sound. He waited, listening. Nothing. His gaze fell on the doorknob. A little unsure of whether this was right, he tested it. The door opened on soundless hinges, and he found himself staring into a large hall.

A lady just appeared from another door, a slightly flustered look at her face. “Hello, dear!” she said, coming to a stop before him. She was short, a little plump, and had greying hair put up in a bun at the top of her head. She offered a hand, which Germany accepted, slightly confused. “My name is Adelheid Baumgarter! How nice of you to drop by. Would you like something to drink?” She took him by the arm, leading him further into the mansion. “It’s cold outside, don’t you think? Maybe something warm? Tea? Coffee?”

Surprised, if not shocked, by the absurd situation, Germany replied, “Tea is just fine.”

“Good.” Adelheid Baumgarter beamed. “Do you not think this is a lovely place? Wonderful for the small ones to live. Trees, meadows and nature. Not a single car in miles! And what of…” She continued blabbering on about the life in the mansion, and Germany caught words like “orphanage”, “left after their parents’ death” and “horrible war”.

The entrance hall was large. The floor was tiled, the walls covered in pale yellow tapestry with some large, framed pictures on it. She led him through a door that looked exactly like the one she had burst in through, but this one was at the opposite side of the hall. There was another small room with two doors. One door was slightly ajar, and through it Germany could see a staircase winding up. They, however, went through the other one, and suddenly he was standing in a large common room. The floor was covered in a soft, green carpet with golden embroiders. There was a large fireplace by one of the walls, with comfortable-looking sofas and armchairs in front, as well as a low table. One of the walls was entirely covered in shelves from floor to roof, while another part held toys upon toys. There were large windows as well as a door facing a terrace outside, and past the terrace, in the garden, was a dozen children playing around, breathless from running, their cheeks and noses red from the cold morning.

“Take a seat!” the lady said, showing to the sofas and armchairs. “I will be back in short!”

“Miss Baumgarter-” Before he could finish, she was off the same way as they had entered, and the door fell shut behind her.

Germany glanced about once more, before making himself comfortable in one of the armchairs and waiting. How could he best explain to her that he had simply been curious as to what place this was? As it turned out it was an orphanage, she probably by now believed he wished to adopt a child. The thought made him uncomfortable. He had no experiences with children, far less any idea of how to bring one up. Even Prussia was better at this than he was!

He allowed himself a soft sigh and examined the room once more. It did not look very fancy, but by no means poor either. In fact, it looked like a place of someone who had money, but did not feel the need to make a fuss of it. It was a wonder he had never heard of this place before. What had the lady called it? Fallen Star Orphanage. Certainly, the name seemed to fit well.

The children, who only minutes earlier had been playing outside, had now become aware of his presence, and had huddled by the door and windows, watching him with huge, curious eyes. Young girls and boys alike. Some of the girls whispered amongst themselves and giggled.

Miss Baumgarter returned with a tray of tea and small cakes. She placed it at the table, noticing the children. She smiled. “Maybe you’d like to meet them?” Not waiting for an answer, she headed over to the door.

Germany rose and followed.

The children pulled away from the door, giving space for Miss Baumgarter to open it and letting herself and Germany out. “Everyone”, she said in a motherly tone, “this is… Oh my, I think I’ve quite forgotten your name!”

“Ludwig. Ludwig Belischmidt.”

“This is Mr. Belischmidt. Now, be nice and give him a good welcome, while I go inside to prepare lunch.”

Germany wanted to ask her to stay, but bit his tongue and instead watched her disappear back in. Turning his attention to the children, he found everyone staring at him, as though they tried to make out exactly what to think of him.

Over the next half an hour or so, many of the children came up to him and chatted lightly of everything and nothing, then lost interest in his short, command-like replies and returned to their playing. They were nice children, and Germany could imagine it was hard to grow up without one’s parents, but he was simply useless when it came to parenting.

That was when his gaze fell on a window that did not belong to the common room. It appeared to belong to a room behind it. Through the window, he could see simple, clean walls, and in profile there was a girl sitting, hunched over, lost in thoughts as her hands worked quickly, forming something he could not clearly make out. She had golden brown hair put up in two pigtails and was dressed in, as far as he could see, simple, clean clothes.

Miss Baumgarter opened the door, calling out, “Lunch is ready!”


	2. Chapter 2

In no time, the children were filing inside, darting for the door leading out of the common room.

“You may eat with us if you wish to”, Miss Baumgarter offered.

Germany ignored the offer. “That girl”, he said, pointing her out. “Why is she alone?”

Miss Baumgarter followed his gaze, her expression falling. “That’s little Evelyn. She’s a… strange child. She rarely talks unless she has to. She refuses to play with the other children and spends all her time inside. Come.” She led back inside and headed for a door Germany had not noticed earlier.

He followed her. When she opened, he was momentarily shocked. There were boxes upon boxes, bowls, buckets, bags, all overflowing with tiny stars of paper in all colours. Many were laying in heaps at the floor, while the table standing by the window held piles of strips of paper. Evelyn, the girl, was, as he had assumed, very simply dressed. She was sitting by the table, her gaze fixated on the strip she was folding into yet another star. Once she finished it, the star ended up at the floor, along with the rest. She got another strip.

“She never knew her mother. Her father brought her here two years ago when she was only four years old. The poor man died a few days later. Never saw him again. She had no one left to care for her, so she stayed here. Apparently, her father had fixed everything on beforehand.”

Germany shook his head slightly.

“A sad story, isn’t it?”

“What… What about the stars?”

Miss Baumgarter laughed lightly. “That’s all she does. Folds stars. From she wakes up till she goes to bed. When she asked me for paper strips, I wondered what she was going to use them for. At first, I found this very nice. Then I began worrying. I have taken her to many different doctors, but they all say there’s nothing wrong with her – only that she should get out more often. So I let her continue. At least she enjoys herself.”

Germany watched Evelyn. By the look on her face, he would not say she was particularly enjoying herself. More like she was trying to forget something painful. “Would you give me a moment?” he asked quietly.

Miss Baumgarter nodded, and disappeared.

Careful not to step on any stars, Germany approached her. “Hello, Evelyn.” No reply. “My name is Ludwig.”

“Have you come to shine light into my eyes again, and listen to my heart?” she asked, her voice a little hoarse from disuse.

“No. You must have me confused with someone else.”

She said nothing, just continued with the stars.

Germany eyed her, before taking the empty chair standing opposite her and sitting down. He watched her for a long while. “Why do make stars?”

“What are you gaining from it?”

New silence.

“It’s no use, Mr. Beilschmidt. We have tried many times. She never answers.” Miss Baumgarter was back at the door, watching with sad eyes.

Germany frowned slightly. Yet another star ended at the floor. Evelyn said nothing, just continued her movements. He tried to imagine himself in her place. What would have resulted in this kind of simplicity and boringness? Everything he had been through so far – the wars, losses, pains and pressures – could have been enough to bend him. Reduce him to someone sitting in a chair, staring out through the window the whole day. Because he would have been afraid to do something like that again. It had hurt, going against his friends when new leaders rose in his land, calling war upon them. But he had not let himself fall.

He rose from the chair and shot a glance towards Evelyn. “Never give up hope.” Then he left the room, alongside Miss Baumgarter. The lady kept up a steady chatter. When they came to the entrance hall, Germany stopped. After a few steps, she stopped to, glancing quizzically back at him. “I am sorry”, he stated. “I should probably go home. My brother is waiting for my return.”

For once she fell quiet, then she smiled a sorrowful smile. “You’re not really interested in adopting a child, are you, Mr. Beilschmidt?”

Slightly uncomfortable by the direct question, he rubbed his neck awkwardly. “No.”

“I know. But hope never gives away, I guess. These children have all been here way longer than any of them should.” She gave a half-wave. “Feel free to come visit again! And don’t hesitate with entering.”

A cry from another room in the mansion drew her attention and she rushed to see what was going on, leaving Germany standing in the entrance hall. He stared after her for a second, then turned to the door and left. When he came out in the front garden, he again noticed the fountain, but it appeared to have a very different meaning now. He knelt by the pedestal, brushing sand, dust and moss off it. He found the beginning of the story and made his way around the fountain. When he came back to the beginning, his face was pale and his hands trembling. He got up and hurried to the gate, shutting it firmly behind himself before breaking into a steady jog away from the mansion.

At home, he was interrogated by Prussia since he was back nearly an hour later than usual, and Prussia threw a fit about having been worried.

The following days, Germany refrained from taking his usual walk. He tried to tell himself it was only because he was too busy, but the truth was that the whole thing had scared him. How Miss Baumgarter appeared so cheerful all the time. The children who had been there “way longer than any of them should”, and Evelyn. The heart of his fear, however, was the story he had read.

The more he thought of it, the more it bothered him. Every morning when he woke up, his thoughts went to that simple room with all the stars, and the simple girl making them. Every night, when he lay in bed, his thoughts circled around the story, wondering exactly how much reality was in it. From childhood stories, he knew of so many unreal things, but he could not believe it was all true. The only peace from his own mind, was when he was training. So training became most of his daily schedule.

Finally, Prussia began noticing this change and confronted him about it, telling him either to forget the orphanage, or go back. He even laughed, offering to come with him.

Germany declined the offer. Instead, he made a call. The next day, the doorbell rang. Germany and Prussia were having breakfast, but despite Prussia starting to get up from his chair, Germany jumped to his feet and got the door. Upon opening it, he found one of his “cousins” standing there. The slightly shorter male nodded in greeting, his face as expressionless as ever. “You called.”

“Thank you, Norway.”

He let Norway inside. “Nor!” Prussia exclaimed as he appeared in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. “What are you doing here?”

“Germany invited me.”

“You did? And forgot to tell me?” Prussia shot Germany a disappointed look. “I’d have cleaned the living room and prepared a guest room!”

Norway did not even raise an eyebrows, only said, “You never clean.”

That made Germany’s lips twitch upwards in a small smile. It was nearly true. Once in a while Germany would be able to make Prussia help with the weekly cleaning of the house, but Prussia never did anything out of free will. There always had to be some sort of “contract” with a “reward”.

“You came straight from the airport?” Germany asked.

“No. Came with a late plane yesterday and stayed the night at a hotel.”

“So you do not want anything to eat or drink?”

“I would not mind a cup of coffee.”

They returned to the kitchen where they made space for Norway, and Germany put cold water to boil. He let the Norwegian prepare his own cup, having had some experience with trying to prepare coffee for the Nordics before. Even though he swore he had done exactly as they told him to, he never seemed to get it right. Not with the amount of coffee powder, nor sugar. And at least not the milk Iceland’s coffee. It was a true nightmare.

“So”, Norway said, once he had his coffee at hand. “You did not want to explain at the phone. What exactly is that you believe you need my help with?”

Germany stared down in his half-filled cup. “There is an orphanage not far from here. At first, it might look worn and abandoned, but it is not. There are children living there. They all look as though time has stopped moving. Their hairstyles and clothing appear like what was usual before the war. It looks as though time has stopped moving.

“That is part of the reason I called you. The other part, is a story carved into the fountain that stands before the mansion. It is about a couple who lived there, back in the 18th century. They were unable to have children of their own, so they founded Fallen Star Orphanage. They took good care of the children there, but when they grew old, they began worrying of who should inherit the business. So they adopted one of the children that had been there the longest, and this child got all of it.

“Like this it continued through generations, until a few years before Second World War broke out. Then…” Germany hesitated, unsure of whether he would sound like a complete idiot if he said it or not. “Something happened. The children living there, as well as current keeper, stopped aging. When the war came, one last child made it to the orphanage, but this child was not affected the same way. She continued aging, until everyone fell into a deep slumber.” He watched the small ripples on the surface of his lukewarm coffee as he gave the cup a 360-degree turn. “They must have woken up shortly before I went for that walk”, he mused, then glanced up. “It probably sounds ridiculous, but…”

Prussia was doing his best not to burst out laughing, while Norway was just as expressionless as usual.

“It was just a story made to make the place interesting”, Prussia managed, before he began laughing.

“It is very likely nothing but that”, Germany mumbled, embarrassed at how easily he had been scared by a story.

“I will go with you to this place.”

He glanced at Norway. As usual, the Norwegian’s face was unreadable, and Germany could not tell whether Norway thought him insane or actually believed him.


	3. Chapter 3

After they had finished their breakfast, Germany and Norway prepared to leave the house. They strolled down the street, turning down the road leading out of the town until they made it to an overgrown dirt road that was occasionally used by tractors. On both sides, the fields stood. There was still some snow in the ditches, and the grass still had a fresh, green colour. But the weather was not as cold as it had been previous.

They passed the path Germany would usually follow back, and soon arrived at the gates of the orphanage. This time, he noticed the rusty, small sign saying _FALLEN STAR ORPHANAGE_. He pushed up the gate. It did not creak as it had done the first time. When they walked up the ally way to the entrance, he noticed that the garden had been cleared. Everything appeared much neater now. Even a small pond had appeared, with a bridge going across and some water lilies floating on it.

As they passed the fountain, Norway said nothing, but Germany noticed that his guard was raised.

The entrance door was open, as were all the windows of the mansion. They were washed, and the walls had just begun to dry from fresh paint. Inside, it was just as he remembered it. “Miss Baumgarter?” he called upon entering.

Silence.

Remembering Miss Baumgarter’s last words, he led Norway to the common room. All the windows were open, as was the door. Cries of joy mended with laughter and jokes from the garden. Once again the children were outside playing. Miss Baumgarter herself was sitting in a rocking chair, knitting something that looked like a bright pink scarf while she watched over the children.

“Miss Baumgarter.”

She glanced up and a smile brightened her face when she spotted them. “Mr. Beilschmidt! How nice to see you again! And you brought a friend too. Welcome, welcome!” She got up and trotted over to them, extending a hand to Norway. They shook hands. “I’m Adelheid Baumgarter.”

“Bondevik.”

“So, have you just come to visit again?”

Germany managed an apologetic look. “Yes. Lukas asked to join me today, so I hope you do not mind him meeting the children and… having a look around.”

“Of course not!”

“Could I meet Evelyn again?”

“She’s there.” Miss Baumgarter pointed to the door. “Mr. Bondevik, come along and I’ll give you a tour.” She disappeared outside again, and after exchanging a glance with Germany, Norway followed her.

Germany stared after them, then made his way through the room. He knocked on the door, gently opening it. As Miss Baumgarter had said, Evelyn was sitting there, just as she had last time. There were still stars littering the floor, and there were still paper strips on the table. “Hello, Evelyn”, he greeted. “It is me, Ludwig, again.”

“The one who’s not the doctor?”

“Yes.” Taking it as an invitation, he entered the room, leaving the door open, and took the seat opposite her. They sat in silence for a long while, none of them saying anything. “Do you like stories?”

Germany had nearly accepted that it was fruitless, waiting for an answer, when she replied. “I haven’t heard any.”

He blinked, surprised at how soft her voice sounded. He cleared his throat lightly. “Would you… like to hear one?”

She nodded.

So he told. Stories from his childhood, from battles glorified by Prussia, stories of his own family. Of Germania. Rome. Of the wild age of his northern “cousins”. All the time, Evelyn sat there, folding more stars and listening. No proper emotion crossed her face, but her thoughtful expression began fading, giving away to a more peaceful one.

An hour had probably passed, when Germany noticed Norway standing in the doorway, watching them. Germany finished the story, but before he could introduce them to each other, Norway had said, “So you are Evelyn, the one Ludwig has spoke of.”

For a brief second her fingers halted in their motion, before picking up speed again.

“Miss Baumgarter told me your story. How do you like living here?”

She said nothing, even though they waited for many minutes. Germany rose, and they left the room. In the common room, they talked a little with Miss Baumgarter, before leaving the orphanage and heading back home. For a long while, they walked in silence, before Norway spoke.

“I don’t know if you want to believe me or not, but the orphanage and the people are under a spell, as the story tells. Except Evelyn. She is a perfectly normal human. As for the spell, there is no need to worry. It won’t rub off on visitors.”

Germany did not wish to believe that. His mind told him it was completely off, and that spells and magic belonged only to the folklore and children’s stories. His heart, however, doubted it. Forcing the doubt away, he nodded.

The next mornings, Germany started with his morning walk again. He dropped by the orphanage for a few minutes, talked to Evelyn, exchanged news with Miss Baumgarter. He went back to his usual routine of work, training and home. Neither Prussia nor Norway commented on it, and things went back to the way they had been before. Norway stayed for about a week, spending most of the day in some close-by city with Prussia and coming home for a late dinner, talk and a coffee. When he left, the house felt slightly emptier – but not by much.

Going to the orphanage in the morning became a habit. By talking to Evelyn, he made her open up a little, and soon she taught him how to make the stars she enjoyed so greatly. One morning when he came there, she was sitting at the edge of the pool of the fountain, waiting for him. They spent nearly an hour outside, talking. Beneath the shell she had first worn, he discovered a wonderful girl, always bubbling with laughter, ready to share her imaginations or just fool around. But she was also very tidy. After fooling around, she would always spend at least a minute to make sure her clothes sat straight and her hair was not in a mess.

Summer came, and Germany had already fixed it with Italy, so that they could spend two weeks together in Italy. Those two weeks varied between being wonderfully peaceful and to some extent relaxing, to deep thoughts concerning a little girl on an orphanage in Germany.

The day he got home, after unpacking his things, he had decided on what to do. He examined his feelings to make sure he did not do something he would regret later, and then went for the usual walk. This time, however, it was not just a walk. He had a very specific goal.

Upon making it to the orphanage, he did not hesitate at opening the gate and entering. He halfway expected Evelyn to be sitting at the fountain, waiting for him again, but she was not. Well, he had not told her he would be coming today. Actually, when thinking of it, he had not told her he would be going Italy. Of some reason, his stomach turned into a knot at the thought, and guilt flooded him.

He opened the door to the orphanage and came into the entrance hall. “Miss Baumgarter!” he called, then waited. Some seconds passed, then he heard her steps as she burst out through one of the doors, a smile of relief at her face.

“Mr. Beilschmidt! Thank God, you’re here!” She looked like she was about to hug him, but then caught herself in it. “This way.” She led upstairs, and they came into a small hall. There were two corridors. One going to the left, the other to the right. They headed down the left one, nearly to the end. Miss Baumgarter opened the door carefully and let Germany enter.

The room was a boring one. The walls were grey, there was an empty, small shelf unit there, beside a chest of drawers. A desk stood by the end of the room, below a window, but it was cleared. Not as much as a pencil lay there. The bed was narrow, with pale grey and white sheets, and on top of it, lay Evelyn. She was just laying there, at her back, staring up in the roof. A half-finished star lay at her stomach, where she must had dropped it, while two or three others lay at the floor.

“She’s been like this for the past eight days!” Miss Baumgarter whispered, her voice breaking at the end. “I don’t know what to do to help her! She barely eats and drinks!”

Germany tuned Miss Baumgarter out and approached the bed, carefully sitting at the edge of it. “Evelyn?” he asked gently.

No reaction.

He reached out a touched her hand.

Her head turned slightly and she blinked slowly, focusing on his face. It took a long while before recognition crossed her face, and when it did, she appeared confused. “What are you doing here?”

Now it was Germany’s turn to be confused. “I came to see you again.”

“I thought you didn’t want to be around me anymore.”

Shock. He was first too shocked to say anything, and when he realized she was waiting for a reply, he was at loss of what to say.

“You stopped coming. I thought-”

“Stop”, Germany commanded, pulling her up in a sitting position and holding her shoulders firmly. “Whatever you thought, it was wrong. I went to visit a friend in Italy, and I did not tell you on beforehand. I am sorry. I should have.”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“I am sorry, I…”

The tears rolled down her cheeks.

He had no idea of what to do or say. What did one do when children began crying? A small package in his pocket pressed against him, as though asking to be noticed.

“I missed you”, she sobbed. “I-I thought you had left me, like father did!” She held out her arms towards him. It took Germany a moment to realize she wanted him to hug her, but when he did, he held her close. “I was scared!”

He said nothing, only held her and let her cry while dealing with his own feeling of guilt. It was, after all, his fault she was crying. When her sobbing subdued and she only sniffled a little in between, he let go of her and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. He let her blow her nose. Then, from the pocket, he brought forth the package. “I bought this to you when I was in Italy.” Before he could change his mind, he let her have it. “I know it is not much, but I hope you will like it…”

He watched her as she unwrapped the silvery paper, revealing a very flat, barely two centimetres tall box and a card. She opened the box. Inside, lay a necklace of silver with a pendant similar to the stars she made, only this was in gold. There was a pair of earrings with same pendants. “Is that… gold?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She glanced up at him. “For me?”

“Yes.”

She glanced back down at the accessories. “Thank you. This is the most anyone has done for me.” Very carefully, she put the box at the bed, then picked up the card, opened it and read it. There was a very long silence as her mind processed the information. Then she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, not saying a single word.

A little awkwardly, Germany patted her back. “I assume that was a yes”, he stated when she let go of him.

“Will you really adopt me?”

“If you wish.”

Two hours later, when Evelyn had cleaned herself out of her room, all the papers were read and finished, they left the orphanage. Germany closed the gates behind them, took Evelyn’s suitcase in one hand and her hand in the other, and led her back along the path.

Evelyn was unusually quiet as they walked, and Germany asked her more than once whether she actually wished to live with him or not. When they arrived at his house, she stood there, staring at it in awe. “It’s so… modern!” she finally said. “And clean and neat and… and… and you have dogs!” The last part was a squeal as she noticed them by the fence at the side of the house, two of them barking and the third gazing curiously their way.

Germany’s lips tugged upwards in a smile. He bent down and scooped Evelyn up on an arm. She giggled and put an arm around his neck to steady herself as he carried her up the driveway and across the threshold. “Shhh”, he murmured into her ear, before calling, “I am home! Have you made dinner yet?”

“I was just about to get to it!” came the reply from Prussia’s gaming cave – a closet he had cleaned and installed all his electronics in. A second later, he came bounding down the stairs. “You’re probably hungry after that walk, since you ate nothing before you left. I planned to make your favourite dish, and-” Prussia had already disappeared into the kitchen, but broke off in the middle of the sentence and poked his head out of the doorway. “Brother, what…?”

“Gilbert, meet Evelyn. Evelyn, this is Uncle Gilbert.”

Prussia was silent for a long while as he processed the news. Evelyn leaned closer to Germany’s ear and murmured, “Is he really your brother? He looks so funny.”

“He is, and he always does”, Germany replied, finding himself enjoying Prussia’s clueless face.

Prussia opened his mouth as if to say something, while he lifting his hand, then his hand fell and his mouth shut. This repeated a few times, making Evelyn giggle. Finally, Prussia appeared to find his voice. “Is she going to live here?”

“Where else?” Germany questioned, finally letting Evelyn down so she could take off her jacket and shoes, and he could take off his own ones.

“Have you thought about this?”

“More than I have ever thought of anything.”

“But…!”

“No ‘but’s. I have decided to take the responsibility, so stop worrying. Go and make that dinner while I show her about and we got a room fixed.”

 

***

 

Germany gently brushes Evelyn’s hair out of her eyes. That had been only months ago. Today, he came home very late, because of a World Meeting in America. It was long past the time when Evelyn was supposed to be in bed, and Germany had specifically told Prussia to make sure she got to bed at the right time. When he came home, however, they were both in the living room, together with all the dogs. They had a cake standing there, with his name written across, and some small candles on it. Evelyn then placed the wreath of paper stars at his head, congratulating him with his birthday.

He sighs and gathers her in his arms, carrying her upstairs to her room. He places her at the bed and pulls the duvet up to her chin. Then he simply watches her for some seconds, before saying a soft “good night” and exits the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

He returns downstairs to where Prussia is still sitting, devouring Germany’s birthday cake. Germany enters just as Prussia shamelessly cuts himself another piece and sits back.

“You know, I never thought you’d be such a good dad”, the Prussian says.

“Neither did I”, Germany admits, sitting down on the sofa.

Prussia laughs. “At least you’re not as our own father!”

This makes Germany smile. “He was nice enough around me. It was always your jokes and mischief that put you in trouble.”

“’T was not!” Prussia exclaims, but he is grinning. “He just didn’t like me, that old bugger!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed it.   
> You might have noticed that the chapters did not appear much like "chapters". The simple explanation is that the whole thing was written as one short story with only one, long chapter. Anniss here on AO3 advised me to split it up, since it would be terribly long, so I gave it a shot.  
> Feel free to leave a prompt if there is something in particular you wish to read, and I will consider it!


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